Teddy’s Top Training Tip 10/05/18

7/5/18

Stop socialising your dog – start to sensitise your dog.

How many times are you told you have to socialise them to make sure that your dog grows into the
dog that is social to everything and everyone. Well have you ever stopped to think that you could be doing more harm than good?
Taking your dog to a park and just letting it off lead to run up to people, other dogs and run off is not socialising your dog, it is teaching your dog that these things are far more fun than being with you.

Stop and think just for a spilt second, all these socialisation things we are always told to do, what is the dog learning, come to think of it, what is the other dog learning. Are we in fact teaching the dog good manners? Are we really preventing fears for later in life? Why are we cramming everything it will come into contact with throughout its life into a short space of time, because we have read orbeen told that is the right way to go about it?

So why should be sensitise our dogs rather than social them?

According to the Cambridge dictionary sensitise means “to make someone familiar with something”.

That is part of the key to helping your puppy or your dog become a well-mannered, all round dog.
your other key factors are of course breeding (parents, environment, etc) or in other words nature and of course nurture.
I have written several tips and blogs regarding focus, engagement and social bonding – all focus on the bond between you and your dog. That really is stage one to sensitise your dog.
Helping your dog take its time with situations, events, environments and building on your bond
through training, all help your dog or puppy develop the life skills its needs for the future.

Let’s start a revolution and stop the socialising and work on sensitising.